I recently read this quote in a WSJ article..."A good employee or a good sales associate might be worth five or 10 times an average one.". It's a very good article about the value of service...definitely worth the read. But, it's this quote that really garnered my attention. I think a great employee is worth far more than five or ten times that of an average associate...probably a hundred times more, maybe higher. Here's just part of my basis...based on my short twenty-two years in the biz:

Great Employees

don't need to be managed

don't break important rules...and break the less important ones for the right reasons

think and create

are accountable and responsible

have passion

don't need to be motivated by you...they're self-propelled

make you look good

are trustworthy

have fun

think first about the team, then of themselves

seem to get it that the customer and their co-workers are more important than they are

leave when they know the time is right...for a better experience

they smile a lot...and get others to do the same

They play to win

Average Employees

spend an inordinately long time in training

work for pay, not for the experience or the ride on the bus

break rules for selfish reasons

hang-on to the job because it's owed to them

blame everyone else for things that go wrong, especially the customer

need constant motivation and incentive to do a good job

are afraid to fail

do just enough to get by

take risks to benfit only themselves

are late a lot

often seem troubled about things

they frown alot...and get others to do the same

They play not to lose

You've noticed that my list is based on personality, traits and character...not on job skills. My list is based on raw talent...what a person comes equipped with before you get your hands on them. Raw talent is based on how people see themselves and what they want to accomplish in life...it's the seed for passion and remarkability. And, unfortunately, it can be the foundation for average. Your job is to sniff out what's underneath...before they get on board.

Average people need jobs. Extraordinary people want them.

Mine is just a partial list. I would love to see yours. I'll be spending more time on this subject in an upcoming podcast...and will be happy to highlight your add-ons.